


Just One Day

by teaandtumblr



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Rollercoasters, Team Free Will, dean is still scared of heights, honest fun, just some fun, pure fluff, team free will go to a theme park, thrill rides
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2014-05-12
Packaged: 2018-01-24 11:51:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1604126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaandtumblr/pseuds/teaandtumblr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean has no idea as to how they ended up in the middle of a theme park. He only knows that Sam, after a long moment’s hesitation, looks thrilled and Cas looks…God dammit! He’s absolutely glowing with pride.</p><p>He shoots Sam a glare and holds up a single determined finger. “One day. One day and that’s it!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just One Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HellhoundsHaveThePoliceBox (GravityFallsDown)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GravityFallsDown/gifts).



> A/N: I blame two people for this, and they both know who they are. So because of them, enjoy Team Free Will at a theme park.

Dean has no idea as to _how_ they ended up in the middle of a theme park. He only knows that Sam, after a long moment’s hesitation, looks thrilled and Cas looks…God dammit! He’s absolutely _glowing_ with pride.

“Cas, what the hell?”

Cas frowns at Dean, as though his question is completely undeserved. “I thought it obvious,” he answers steadily. “You often speak of desiring a day off.”

Dean gestures to the theme park loosely. “Yeah…but _this_?” His hesitant agreement quickly turns into a demand.

Cas looks affronted and, to Dean’s surprise, it’s Sam who’s talking next. “Come on Dean,” he’s pleading. “How bad could it be?”

“Oh, did you have to go and jinx it like that?” Dean rubs a hand over his face. Screams from some sort of rollercoaster behind them have him turning an embarrassing shade of grey. “Come on Sammy,” he whines, no, _begs_. “Seriously?”

Sam holds up his hands. “Look, if you don’t want to go on the really scary rides…” his expression turns sly. “Wuss.”

Dean glares at him hard and is about to force Cas to take them home when he turns and finds said angel staring into the window of a candy shop. His head is tilted and he legitimately jerks back in surprise when a child emerges from the shop with a lollypop the size of her head and…okay, Dean’s more than okay with that. He shoots Sam another glare and holds up a single determined finger.

“One day. One day and that’s it!”

* * *

“I don’t understand.”

It seems to be Castiel’s phrase of the day and yeah, maybe Dean can understand why. The people in costumes had been confusing enough. It had taken a lot of back and forth, mostly jumbled jargon from him and Sam for a good ten minutes before Cas had understood that…sort of. And let’s skip the confetti filled parade and the parents dragging screaming children who clearly didn’t want to do…well, whatever it was their parents wanted them to do.

The object of his attention this time, however, seemed to be a sign that stood next to… _Holy crap!_ No way was Dean going on that death trap disguised as a “thrill ride”. A sideways glance at Sam told him that that was _exactly_ what he would be doing in one hour’s long line time. With a large sigh, Dean clapped the angel on the shoulder and pulled him into the queue.

“What’s got you stumped Cas?” he asks, as they have more than enough time.

“That sign,” Cas replies, before pausing to think just what about the sign had bothered him. “It gave many warnings for this…uh…”

“Rollercoaster,” Sam adds helpfully from where he’s perusing a stolen park map.

“Rollercoaster.” Castiel tries the word and nods – not that he would have been able to change it if he hadn’t liked it, Dean thinks. “If it is not intended for pregnant women, people with vertigo, motion sickness, neck and spine proble-”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it,” Dean interjects, waving him along with a hand.

Cas has the nerve to look offended. “Yes, well, if it is apparently so dangerous, why do humans find it ‘fun’?” He says the word as though he doesn’t believe it. And yeah, neither does Dean.

“Ain’t that the million dollar question?” he scoffs.

Even as Cas is tilting his head in confusion, Sam is rolling his eyes. “It’s like this Cas,” he says, using his best ‘explanation’ voice. “It’s an adrenalin rush. Your body thinks it’s dangerous and pumps you full of energy. It’s the thought of nearly dying but…not.”

The angel’s eyes squint. “Coming to the brink of death is…amusing?”

Sam screws his face up like he knows Castiel doesn’t understand and yet doesn’t know how to clarify any further. “Look, just go on it and see for yourself.”

Dean’s head jerks up. “Wait, you want _Cas_ on that?”

Sam looks at him as though he’s just suggested they swap bodies for the day for the sheer hell of it. “What did you think we were going to do with him?”

“I don’t know!” Dean admits snappily. “I thought you’d just dump him at the front and he’d watch or something. He’s-” Dean shakes his head. “He’s an _angel_ Sam!”

“I know, which is why-”

“No, that’s _why_ he’s not-”

“He’s-”

“I would like to go on the rollercoaster.”

The argument stops dead as both Winchesters stare at the angel blankly, as if they’d forgotten he’d been working ever so hard on that thing called free will. A weedy teenager behind them whines loudly and Sam realises the line has since moved forward. He waves an apology and gets a rude finger thrown his way for his trouble. Dean stumbles forward under his large-handed push. Castiel proves to be immovable until he determines Sam’s objective and steps forward at his own leisurely pace. They’re quite close to the ride and its double loops and Dean is _not_ intimidated by the rattling metal.

“You sure Cas?”

It shouldn’t give him comfort when the angel nods, but it does. It so does.

“Dean?”

Sam’s voice is quiet, and suddenly full of things such as guilt and concern. God, what now? He shoots his brother a scowl and Sam shifts his weight from foot to foot. His eyes flicker to the rollercoaster as if it’s only just occurred to him what Dean’s beef with the ride might be. “If you don’t wanna-”

“It’s fine Sam,” Dean cuts in tersely.

Sam seems to realise that continuing the conversation would get him nothing but a pissed off Dean and that’s the last thing he wants – seeing as how all that would get him was an angel express ride back to their hotel. Cas is frowning like he’s missed something and it occurs to Sam that maybe Dean has never told him about his fear of-

“Cas, don’t you dare go reading my mind!”

That would be a ‘no’.

Dean flaps his hands as if that will keep Castiel out and before the angel can pry further, they’re up and being sent down to stand at a car. They’re four wide, and Dean has never been more thankful in his life. Sam volunteers to be on the edge and, call him cowardly, but Dean jumps in next, all but barging Cas over so he can end up in the middle. Somehow Cas seems to get that Dean wants protection, though from what he’s not sure. His hand finds its way onto Dean’s shoulder and the hunter pretends he doesn’t feel that _zap!_ that comes every time Cas touches the handprint he made all those years ago.

“If there is danger,” Cas says, “I will not hesitate to transport us out.”

Dean’s too scared to respond as they clunk ever higher but Sam is laughing hysterically, picturing how the ride operator’s would react when one car came back empty and no dead bodies strewn on the ground.

“Cas, promise me you won’t,” he chuckles right as they tip over the edge.

The next few minutes are horrible for Dean and he wonders if some part of Sam’s brain isn’t still possessed by Lucifer – specifically, the part that thought this was a good idea. He squeezes his eyes shut and swears incessantly in his head until he feels them levelling out and slowing down. Sam is grinning at him, and the only thing more ridiculous than his smile is his hair. Because going upside down twice and all sorts of sideways has not done it any favours. And Cas…the angelic bastard doesn’t even have the decency to look _ruffled_.

Before Dean can ask the angel what he thought of hell on earth, Sam is once again quite literally dragging him down the ramp.

“ _Jesus Sam!_ ” he complains, throwing an arm out and snagging the lapel of Cas’ overcoat. Unlike Sam’s failed attempt, Cas comes easily under his touch and allows himself to be tugged along.

“What’s the rush?” Dean asks, only to run into Sam’s back where he’s abruptly stopped inside the attached store. He glances around his brother’s gigantic frame and, once he’s taken in what he’s seeing, his expression goes black. “No, no…Sam, no!”

But his brother is absolutely _not_ listening and is already at the counter, wallet in hand. It’s probably the only time in his life that Dean wishes one of their credit card scams _doesn’t_ work.

“Dean?” Cas’ voice is hesitant, cautious.

Dean thinks he doesn’t want to answer but he turns around regardless. “Yeah?” he asks gruffly.

“Is that a picture of you, Sam, and I?” He seems genuinely confused.

Sam answers before Dean has a chance to. “Yep!” he announces gleefully, holding up his purchase, which…oh god, it’s as bad as Dean fears. It’s the photo.

He snatches it off Sam, ignoring the ‘hey!’ sent his way, but before he can decide exactly what he wants to do to said photo, Cas’ hand is gently gripping one corner so he can see the picture clearly. Dean then looks down too and, _crap_. It’s worse than he imagined. Sam is laughing, hands in the air and hair flying majestically out around him. Dean…he closes his eyes and groans. His eyes are squeezed shut and it honestly looks like he’s trying not to shit his pants. Sam will _never_ let that go.

And Cas?

“Oh come on!” he complains loudly.

Because there is Cas, being Cas in all his entirety. He’s sitting stock still, eyes open, forehead creased in a frown, dutifully facing forward. His tie, however, is plastered to one cheek. The longer Dean looks at it, the funnier it gets and before long he is laughing, honest to god _laughing_. Sam seems relieved and, probably wisely, uses that moment to snatch the photo back. Dean doesn’t even grab for it.

“So,” he drawls, looking sideways at Cas who, as usual, looks slightly bewildered. “Not scary then?”

Cas blinks twice then says quietly, “I was not afraid. The sensation was…” he pauses and looks away, causing Sam to look over and for Dean’s face to adopt a frown. “…Familiar to that of flying,” he finally admits.

And yeah, that stings like a bitch because sure, Cas can fly _now_ , but there have been times when he _hasn’t_ been able to and, no, they don’t want to remember those. Dean pastes a smile on his face and has the subject effectively changed for him when an attractive and outrageously busty blonde spills her soda all over her white top. And no, she’s not wearing a bra underneath.

* * *

The sun is setting, it’s getting late in the day when Dean finds himself being yanked somewhere and – _dammit!_ – that is happening a lot today. He wonders if perhaps he needs to crash course Sam in the same ‘personal space’ talk he had with Cas. That thought is only reaffirmed in his mind when he sees just how close to him Sam really is.

“What?” he huffs indignantly, pulling more paper wrapper off the double bacon cheeseburger in his hand.

Sam gives him a bitch face that he’d given an eight out of ten. Huh, that’s actually pretty impressive. “Did you just…” Sam struggles to say the word out of sheer _disbelief_. “Photobomb…that poor family?”

His younger brother is pointing a finger at the asian family happily meandering away. A family that now, as Sam suspects, has a photo of them being cute and adorable and making little peace signs…only with a large white male with a mouth positively stuffed with burger and grinning maniacally in the background. Dean thinks, or at the very least _hopes_ , that the Batman cape none of them actually remember him acquiring has also made its way into the…photobomb, okay? Yeah, it was totally a photobomb. He just flips his brother off by way of response.

Sam, who he might add, is wearing the largest and most ridiculous hat possibly in existence, is seemingly at that awkward stage of not wanting to leave and yet not having anything else to do. Castiel is watching them stoically and eventually it’s Dean who has to get the proverbial ball rolling.

“How about we stay for the fireworks-” And no, he has most definitely _not_ memorised the damn program! “-And then call it a night?”

Cas cocks his head to the side. “I do believe it is already called that.”

The angel is subjected to a matching set of incredulous Winchester stares until Dean gains enough control to close his mouth and focus on Sam instead. “Well?”

Sam agrees because, hey, this is the first time today that _Dean_ has suggested something – he’s not counting dinner because when is Dean _not_ thinking about food? They make their way down the main street and find a place that offers them a pretty sweet view whilst not condemning them to multitudes of screaming children. They wait for the sky to darken in relative silence but for once it’s okay, it’s _good_. There’s no awkwardness, no sense of trying to avoid stepping on eggshells, no underlying guilt tips…it’s almost like what Dean would call ‘family’.

And yes, he’s sort of in love with the feeling…in that completely manly way.

“Hey Cas?” he murmurs while the sky light up above them.

“Yes Dean?”

“Thanks man.”


End file.
